Automobile lock



P 4, 1934- w. HEMINGWAY, 4R 1,972,300

AUTOMOBILE LOCK Filed y 8, 1955 INVENTOR AfT/ AVA 2y I I l E WITNESS 17 121 y W I ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 4, 1934 i I I UNITESTATES PATENT OFFICE 1,972,200 AUTOMOBILE noon Wilson Hemingway, .lr., Philadelphia, Pa, assignor to The Eiectrolock Manufacturing Company, Vicksburg, Miss, a corporation of Mississippi Application May 8, 1933, Serial No. 669,878 1 Claim. (CE. 7@-127) The present invention relates to looks for aument board to the locking devices, and showing tomobiles and more particularly to locking mechdiagrammatically the ignition circuit controlled anisms which simultaneously lock more than one by said switch; part or function of a car, and one object of this Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of a locking operative position so as to prevent the starting of is closed and the supplemental circuit to the supthe motor or the driving of a car by one not auplemental locking device is also closed to the bat- 1c thorized so to do, once the car has been stopped tery and consequently energized; and 65 and parked, and the switch of the ignition sys- Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic view similar to Fig. 3. term has been locked in a position in which said ut S ow the p n Of t switch elements ignition circuit is broken. when the ignition switch is locked, and the igni- A further object of this invention is to provide tiOh Circuit is broken/end further Showing 15 an ignition circuit of an automobile with a supmanner in Which the Switch end of the pp 70 plemental electric circuit connected to and conme tal Ci cuit is grounded through said switch. trolled by the ignition switch and the look there- Referring to through th fee board l of 2c ignition system is locked, one of the mechanisms in turn leurneled o e 1 mo e brackets 5 bi-iusually controlled by a hand or foot of the operaheath the O e d tor of the car, in such a position that said-mech- This s af 3 ay be and p f a ly is the shaft anism cannot be released or the car operated so which Operates the C tch t Shown) Of an and until the said circuit is closed thereby prothe eet brake p d for f h Clutch P da be viding protection against the theft of the car. d pr ss d a d be l ck d n t a d p ss d p si- A further object of this invention is to provide i n. i i imp sibl ferene to close the clutch 3o operatively connected to one of the essential le- It w l be impossible o One to release the brak s 85 multaneously with the locking of the ignition cir- The locking device shown in Fig. 1 is therefore cuit in open or broken condition, the invention adapted to be used in connection with the clutch being adapted, for instance, to lock a clutch pedal pedal or the foot brake pedal ordinarily found in so with the clutch disconnected; to lock the foot p esent day automobile construction. Further use brake pedal with the brake applied; to lock an of the invention with other parts of the car will emergency brake with the brake applied; or even be referred to again below. to lock the hood of the motor to insure against To some convenient part-6 of the chassis, I sethetampering with the distributor or coil and to cure, pivotally or rigidly as by a bolt 7, one end prevent the removal of any of the said elements (here shown as the forward end). of a strong or other removable accessories and submechametal casing 8 having straight through it an nisms as are usually installed under the hood of 3. Opening 9 preferably rectangular in cross-section oar adJacent the motor.

as Othe objects of this invention will appear in fits and normally freely slides longitudinally for the specification and claim below. wardly and rearwardly.

Referring to the drawing forming a part of this The rear end of the bar 10 is preferably pivotspecification and in which the same reference ally connected to the free end of the lever 11 characters are employed throughout the various which in turn is rigidly secured to and oscillates 50 views to designate the same parts, with the shaft 3. Whenever the pedal 3 is de- Fig. 1 is a'vertical section of a locking mechapressed or advanced forwardly, the bar 10 is nism embodying this invention attached to and drawn rearwardly in the casing 8 and when the cooperating with a pedal (clutch or brake) of an oot is removed from the pedal, the pedal moves automobile and showing the armored connection under the usual spring tension and the slide bar 55 from the ignition switch and lock on the instru- 10 moves forwardly in said casing 8. The upper 11o tion switch 27 Within 1 21 in axialalinement ing 13 is an armored protecting the ignition system surface of the bar 10 is preferably provided with one or more ratchet teeth 12 as will be referred to again below.

Mounted upon the casing 8 is a relatively small strong housing 13 for the coil of an electromagnet 14, rigidly secured to the top of the. housing 13 in any suitable manner, as by scr'ews'15 and depending therefrom. The core 16 of the magnet is above and substantially spaced from the upper edge or side of the slide bar 10.

The armature of the electromagnet 14 is a pawl 1'7 pivotally mounted in lugs 18 preferably integral with the housing 13 so that the. pawl 17 may oscillate in a vertical plane on the pivot pin 19.

The housing 13 may be, secured to the casing 8 in any suitable manner, but I prefer to have it so connected that it cannot be removed readily therefrom to give access to the pawl 17. One manner of accomplishing this result is to secure the base of the housing 13 to the top of the casing 8 by screws 20 passing through the upper part of the casing 8, located above the slide bar 10 and accessible only when the slide bar 10 is removed and a screw driver is inserted through the hole with the screw 20.

the upper side of the houscable 22 of the character Securely attached to commonly used in of an automobile from unauthorized tampering, the other end of said cable being securely attached to the rear end of the ignition switch casing 23 mounted in the instrument board 24. The ignithe casing 23 is controlled by the usual lock cylinder 25 and key 26, the ro tation of the cylinder being operative to move the movable member of the switch to different positions with respect to of the switch.

The lock cylinder and'tumblers may be of the ordinary construction and are installed in the casing in any usual way to permit, upon the insertion of the key, the free rotation of the cylinder, when the key is inserted therein, from one position (wherein the ignition circuit is closed) to a second position (wherein the ignition circuit is broken) and vice versa.

One arrangement of the switch 27 provided with movable and stationary switch members and which isadaptable to my invention, is clearly indicated diagrammatically in Figs. 3 and 4. Thus the stationary contact points of the switch, which are preferably mounted in a stationary member 28 of insulating material, may be six in number, arranged preferably in a circle and spaced equidistant from each other as shown in Fig. 3. The stationary contact B is attached or connected to the battery. The stationary contact point G is connected by a lead to earth. The stationary contact point C is-connected by a lead to the ignition coil. The stationary contact point D, in,

v the present arrangement, may be and preferably is dead. The stationary contact point L is adapted to be connected to the supplemental circuit of the locking device forming a part of my invention and including the electromagnet 14, and the stationary contact point L' may be. and preferably is connected to the contact point L by a connector 0.

The movable member'29 ofthe ignition switch shown in Fig. 3 is preferably of metal and has three equi-distant arms A, each carrying a contact point a, a and a respectively. Said member 29 is preferably rotated by but is electrically insulated from the key cylinder 26, shown in dotand-dash lines in Figs. 3 and 4.

the stationary contact parts Now referring back to Fig. 1 within the armored cable 22 is the insulated wire 30, one end of which forms the winding of the coil 14 and is thereafter grounded to the casing as at 31. The upper end of the wire 31 passing through the armored coil is connected to the stationary contact point L of the ignition switch. By virtue of the connector 0 this wire 30 connects directly with both the contact points L and L.

Connected to the stationary contact point B is a wire 32 which leads to the battery 33 and thence .to ground 34. Connected to stationary contact point C is a wire 35 which leads to the induction coil 36 and thence through the primary current winding 37 to the timer 38 and thence to ground 39. Within the induction coil 36 is the usual secondary winding 40 adapted to be connected by a lead 41 with the spark plugs of the motor (not shown). It is understood that when a wire or terminal is referred to as grounded it means that it is connected to almetallic part of the chassis or car which forms an artificial ground for the various circuits.

It will now .be seen that when the switch is in the unlocked position shown in Fig. 3 the movable insulated metal contact 29 of the ignition switch will connect the battery 33 through the contact point B and movable contact meme ber '29 with the coil contact C and hence through the wire 35 with the ignition coil, and with the stationary contact point L whereby a portion of the current from the battery 33 will energize the supplemental circuit from the battery through the wire 30 through the electromagnet 14 to the ground 31; that the magnet 14 will be energized and the pawl 17, forming the armature of the electromagnet 14, will be lifted to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1. This condition will remain so long as the switch is in this position and the operator of the car will be at liberty to freely operate the clutch as he may find it necessary or desirable in driving the car. When, however, he parks his car he will, as usual, lock it by throwing the lock cylinder 26 to a position corresponding to that shown in Fig. 4 and in doing so the movable contact member 29 will move away and be out of engagement with the stationary contact point B and will come to rest on the stationary contact point G' and on the stationary contact point L. The engagement of the movable contact member 29 with the dead contact point D will not close any circuit. The contact points G and L will then be the only ones operatively connected by the movable member 29.. 13

This rotation ermits the user to withdraw his key and. leave the ignition switch in locked condition, but in so doing he will have connected the wire 30 leading from the electromagnet 14 to ground through the stationary contact point L, connector 0, stationary contact point L, movable contact member 29 to stationary contact point G which, as is above stated, is grounded to the machine. The ignition circuit is therefore completely broken and the supplemental circuit to the locking device in addition to being discon- -nected from the battery point B is grounded at the casing 13 except by breaking or destroying the armored cable 22 which is not easy to do and thereafter connecting the wire 30 with some other source of electric power.

It will therefore be observed that as soon as the operator of the car parks his car and locks his ignition switch and withdraws his key, thereby deenergizing the electromagnet 14, he merely has to depress the pedal 3 to separate his clutch members or to apply tightly the foot brakes to the wheels. This depression of the lever 3 will draw the sliding bar 10 rearwardly and the pawl 17 will ride over the ratchet teeth 12 until it rests in the last tooth to which the bar has been ad.- vanced whereupon a release of the pressure of the foot on the pedal will cause the pawl '17 to engage within the nearest ratchet teeth and prevent any substantial reverse motion of the pedal 3 or a frictional engagement of the clutch members.

If the pedal 3 be the foot brake pedal, the

operator will depress the pedal after locking his ignition and apply the foot brake tightly and when he lifts his foot from the pedal the pawl will hold the lever in the position to which it was depressed and the brake cannot be. released until the ignition circuit is closed to the battery and with it the supplemental circuit.

The wire 31 being grounded at both ends precludes the application of electric motive power to the wire 31. In fact, the wire is thoroughly protected throughout its length from outside interference and one cannot by pulling on the reach of the pedal force the slidebar rearwardly or disengage the pawl 17 from its notch.

It is only by the insertion of the key 2'7 in the cylinder 26 and by rotating the cylinder clockwise (as respect to the showing in Figs. 3 and 4) that the ground of the ignition end of the supplemental circuit including the wire 31, is broken, and when the ignition circuit is closed as in Fig. 3, then the supplemental circuit is closed through the electromagnet 14 and the electromagnet is energized whereupon a slight downward pressure on the pedal will relieve the pawl of any pressure due to its engagement with the teeth 12 of the slide bar and the energized electromagnet will lift the pawl 17 clear of the upper surface of the sliding bar 10.

The construction shown in Fig. 2 is substantially like that shown in Fig. 1 except that the device is one in which the bar 10 is provided with notches 12' with square shoulders which cooperate with a pawl 17', the end of which is also provided with square shoulders which prevent 'in low as may be any substantial movement of the bar 10' in either direction when once the electromagnet 14 is deenergized and the pawl 17 has fallen into one of the teeth 12.

This is a modification which is adapted, for instance, for locking the shifting lever in any desired position, e. g., in neutral or in reverse or desired, these various notches corresponding to the position in which is the shifting lever to prevent an unauthorized use .of the car. The notches 12 of the bar 10' correspond to such positions. If, therefore, after stopping his car the operator adjusts his gear shift to the position in which he wishes to lock it and then locks his ignition, the pawl 17 will fall into a corresponding notch 12 of the bar 10 and the shifting lever cannot be moved from that position until the ignition switch is unlocked and the ignition circuit is restored.

From the above it must also now be apparent that the above device is also well adapted for locking the hood of an automobile in such a way as to prevent an unauthorized person from lifting the sides of the hood or cowl and having access to the inside thereof. In this instance the bar 10' may control a locking bolt of the hood in locked position and no one may slide the bolt to permit him to lift the sides of the hood and have access to the motor until after the ignition switch has been turned to unlocked position, and the ignition circuit is closed and with it the supplemental circuit through the electromagnet 14.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent of the United States is:

The combination with an ignition circuit of an automobile including a battery and an instrument-board switch of a supplemental circuit connected at one end to said switch and grounded at the other end, an electromagnet in said supplemental circuit, said switch being operative to simultaneously connect said supplemental circuit to said battery when it connects said ignition circuit to said battery and to ground the switch end of said supplemental circuit when it disconnects said ignition circuit from said battery, and a mechanism controlled by said electromagnet for locking one of the operating mechanismsof the car against operation so long as said supple- WILSON HEMINGWAY, JR. 

